Just hours after spreading misinformation about the Brown University shooting, Donald Trump pivoted to posting a dramatic portrait of himself surrounded by Christmas decor. The timing was infuriating, but the image was weirder.
Roughly three hours after posting about the Brown University shooting on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump shared something else entirely. Perhaps something he deems more important. It wasn’t an update on the incident or an apology for his unverified claim about the suspect. It was a stylized portrait of himself, centered on a stage-like setup flanked by Christmas trees, garlands, and soft lighting.
While the country was still processing an active shooting, Trump was posting a shrine. The image was carefully composed with his portrait in the middle, framed by holiday decorations. There was no caption offering condolences or acknowledgment of the chaos unfolding hours earlier. Just the image, dropped into the feed as if nothing else was happening.
The reaction was immediate and confused. Some people focused on the timing, calling the post “sick” and “narcissistic” given the moment. Others couldn’t get past the visual itself. One user asked, “Is this from a church stage? With him in front of the pulpit? I’m so confused.” Another wrote, “Wait… is Trump dead?” and the question kept coming up.
The setup didn’t read like a holiday greeting, but more like a memorial. “Looks like a prelude to a funeral,” one user commented. Another echoed the same thought: “My first thought: weird, holiday-themed set dressing for his funeral.” Several users landed on the same blunt conclusion, writing that it “looks like a funeral picture.”
But beyond the “funeral” mocking, one user jabbed at the obsession behind it. “The last time there was a man this obsessed with his own image, it was ancient Greece,” they wrote, before adding, “and they named a personality disorder after him.” But hey, Trump is not narcissistic at all. And he’s definitely not a sociopath or apathetic. Just pathetic, maybe.
Another user mocked the symbolism of his post directly: “Trump at the center of attention in a ‘Christmas’ decoration. He’s really seeing himself as Jesus.” Well, whether he does or not, the MAGA cultists definitely worship him as God. But even people accustomed to Trump’s theatrics seemed thrown off by this oddly timed post. “I don’t get it,” one user admitted. “What’s the story of that painting? What is he trying to accomplish?”
What makes the post creepier isn’t just its tone-deafness; it’s the contrast. Hours earlier, Trump had spread confusion about the tragic shooting. And his brilliant brain thought it was a good idea to post an entirely self-referential glossy image of himself hours later. The valid criticism of his post wasn’t about the art direction or decoration; it was about priorities.
While families were waiting for answers, Trump was drooling over his own image. Yet, whether he likes it or not, the result looked less like Christmas and more like a memorial rehearsal.
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